Chapter 6

BELLAMY

Instead of being pissed, she just looked hurt. That made me even angrier at them than I had been already.

I knew what the Delzet did. Dad said that her parents told him that it helped to focus. It proved that they lied to him, and that was a low blow because Dad was their family. Then again, so was Kenzie, and I saw what they did to her.

Dad would not have been okay with taking her magic away. He had always helped me embrace mine and instilled in me that it was part of who I was and that I should never be wary of it.

“What haven’t they lied to me about?” she asked softly.

She held up her other hand, and I matched her movements. Her magic felt like a gentle massage as it danced along mine. I closed my hands around hers. Her eyes flashed between both the colors of our magic.

“That’s new,” I said, taking my hands back before clasping them to hers again. The colors flashed again. “Never seen two sets of magic mix together like that.”

“Why are you willing to help me?” she asked suddenly as if trying to figure me out.  

Instead of answering her right away, I nodded to the kitchen and pulled her along with me. I loved the way her hand felt entwined with mine. Soft yet firm.

“Hungry?” I asked, gesturing for her to sit at one of the stools in front of the counter.

I prepared some quick sandwiches and tossed chips in a bowl before setting everything down near her. Then I grabbed two bottles of water for us.

She deserved to know, and I did not want to be one of the assholes who kept shit from her. She meant more to me than that. I respected her more than that too.

“I’ve always had a crush on you Ki,” I told her, without looking at her.

It was a secret I kept even from Luca. Well, crush was a light explanation honestly. However, this was not the time for that conversation. I prayed that one day we could have it, but it would take time for her to care for me like that. If it meant her heart then I could be the most patient person in the entire fucking universe.

“A crush and you can’t even look at me?” she tsked. I saw her smirk and tossed a chip at her.

“Yes, missy. Three years ago, I realized that I needed to get away from you. My magic called out for you. I had great control of my magic, but it was hard anytime I was around you. I was afraid I would end up hurting you, and I refused to let that happen. Now, I understand why it called out to you. However, I was nearly seventeen and you were only fourteen. It was hard to be around you without letting how I felt slip out. So, I did what I could because I would never risk you like that.”

She took a bite of her sandwich and thought for a few moments before responding. I loved that about her. Kenzie was thoughtful with what she said. She did not sugarcoat anything and told it like it was. Within doing that, she was always careful with her words. Words could be weapons of blessing or curses depending on how they are wielded.

“I like how Ki sounds. What changed?”

“Like the key to my heart.” I winked at her and loved the smile that tugged at her lips. “This past year there was exactly one person that I could think about. It was you. I felt something pulling me back to Aedrul, so I finally gave in and came back,” I told her, pushing my plate away from me and turning towards her.

She got up and put our plates in the sink before leaning against the counter and looking at me with curiosity brimming in those eyes of her. She was handling this a lot better than I thought she would. There was always the ‘what would she do if she knew I liked her’ scenario.

“I’m glad you did. I never realized you even looked at me. You were always so buddy-buddy with Luca.”

Did she really not understand the effect she had on me?

I held my hand out for her and she came over, entwining our fingers. I showed her around the penthouse.

There was an entertainment room that had a billiards table, a theater system, and a top-of-line surround system set up. There was also another room that I used as a music room. Music was my way to unwind and could play guitar, piano, and drums.

The last stop on the tour was the bedroom. I was a little nervous about it because I was not certain if she would like the room or not. There was one other bedroom that I could give to her if she wanted it. I would never force her to sleep in my room. I just knew that we both slept well at the castle. It felt amazing to have her in my arms, and I felt complete for the first time in my entire life.

Kenzie was also interesting to sleep next to. She was definitely a cuddler, and her body had not an ounce of shame when she was asleep. Said body decided to rub against me most the night.  

The room was not anything special. Aunty made black and green kind of the theme to my early life, and the colors just stuck with me. So, the walls a light forest green with black accents along the trim. The King-sized bed was in the middle of the room and was fitted with black and gold bedding.

There were also three different bookcases filled to the brim with grimoires, histories, and anything else I could find with the Felonia line which was the one I hailed from. It was a very powerful line of witches, so this was my personal stash whereas the libraries downstairs housed everything else to help train magic.

I was only two years older than the twins, but I spent my entire life learning about magic. My parents knew the magical affinities I would have because of my early involvement. To give me the best foundation they could, they began teaching me about it all since I was in diapers. Then Macario took me under his wing as I got older and introduced me to some others in the kingdom who had knowledge that could help me.

I spent the past three years working my ass off to develop training protocols and doing everything I could to become an established contact. The outcome was well worth every moment of it.

“This is my room. There’s another bedroom if you would prefer to stay there. It’s up to you.”

“We’re staying?” she asked, turning around to face me.

“Do you want to?” I asked.

She nodded her head and flashed me a brilliant smile that brought one to my lips as well. This uninhibited Kenzie was a freed version of herself. It really made me happy to know that I could help her with that.

“I wouldn’t mind staying in your room if you’re sure you don’t mind. And, yes, I’d like to stay here. You’re the only person who has never lied to me. Plus, I may have always had a crush on you too,” she said, smirking.

That I was not expecting. I never imagined that it was reciprocated. I leaned down to kiss her when my phone went off. I groaned at the interruption.

“I’ll handle this,” I said, kissing her forehead. “Hey Aunty,” I greeted.

I knew that Kenzie could hear everything with her hearing, so I did not need speaker phone.

“Hey, little one,” she greeted with an affection that was unique to the two of us. “I was just checking in to see how your outing was going.”

I wrapped an arm around Kenzie’s waist, loving how she felt against me. She leaned into my body and wrapped an arm around me. The heat from her body soaked into my own.

“It’s going great. We’ve had a blast, and just as I thought, it’s really helped her mood.”

With the time zone difference, it was 9:30 P.M. here and 3:30 P.M. in Aedrul. Zane and Aunty were able to alter the passage of time in Aedrul in order to align better with the packs around the globe. The magic prolonged the lives of Aedrul’s inhabitants instead of significantly slowing time down in Aedrul. It used to be a week in Aedrul seemed like hours outside of it.

“When are you guys heading back?” she asked, and I could hear my uncles in the background.

Kenzie looked up at me with wide eyes. She did not want to go back yet, and I would not force her to. I shook my head to tell her not to worry. This was Kenzie’s life, and I would make damn sure that she lived it however she wanted and only how she wanted.

“I brought her to my apartment in Atlanta, and Kenzie fell asleep with the time jump. I’m assuming she’s not really used to portals. I figured she would be because Zane and everyone uses them so frequently.”

Yeah, that was an intentional dig because I knew they were keeping magic away from her. I was not entirely certain why though. Why did they go to such lengths to ensure that she could not tap into her magic? Also, there was magic in Aedrul. How could she not even tap into that? It made no fucking sense.

“Why did you take her out of Aedrul?” Uncle Xander growled.

I rolled my eyes, unfazed by his anger. Look. I respected my family, but Kenzie would always come first. I would stand in front of each of their large ass wolves if I needed to without flinching. She needed someone on her side, and that someone was me.

“She wanted to see somewhere new, so I brought her here where she could experience something new while still remaining absolutely safe. My apartment is completely impenetrable and can only be accessed with my very specific magic.”

I heard them talking to each other. They knew I was right. Kenzie was the safest with me.

“Have her call us when she wakes up, okay?” Uncle K asked. He had always been the nicer of the two uncles. Uncle Xander had always had a bit more of a temper. Everyone always found that funny since Uncle K had been the wolf counterpart.

“Sure, sure,” I agreed. I heard the phone being handed over.

“Did she put the Delzet on?” Uncle Xander asked.

Kenzie tensed up with his words. I let my magic caress her, calming her down. She leaned into it, and I saw her eyes flash lilac. I loved how she responded. It made me very curious how she did it. She was my puzzle to piece together.

“That was the deal, right? I hate to cut this short, but it’s getting late here, and I’m exhausted. I will keep her safe,” I promised before hanging up.

I pinched the bridge of my nose before tossing my phone on the chair beside me. I had to remind myself that Kenzie would be very sad if her family was blown to smithereens. They knew damn fucking well what the Delzet would do to her. Yet they were still willing to do it. Not going to fucking happen.

Nothing made any sense when it came to this. What was really going on? I would figure it one way or another.